Intercultural training courses and coaching sessions aim at helping participants acquire communication skills which will enable them to develop trustful relationships with people in diverse intercultural environments – despite possibly serious differences in opinions, values, attitudes or behaviour.
Unlike in other negotiations or conflicts, it is not the primary aim to influence or change the opinions people may hold about any of the issues in question. In fact, being able to meet differing opinions, values, attitudes and behaviour and accept these is a central aim of all intercultural coaching.
If any change of opinion or behaviour on the side of the training participants and/or their interlocutors can be expected, this change may perhaps take place over a period of time and as an indirect effect of repeated success (or failure) in intercultural communication.
What effectively can be achieved in intercultural training is the mastery of communication skills which avoid judgemental utterances, (unknowingly) confrontational strategies and too much personal involvement in controversial discussions.
